The Spirits Within
by Kinoarashi
Summary: An organization that was destroyed 700 years ago returns in the form of 5 kids. Kids who have been given a gift, a gift needed to fight their ultimate enemy. The Heartless. The New Covenant must find a way to destry them, before the Heartless destroys the
1. The Spirits Within

Let's face it, the original version is crappy. But this one will make it possible to write a sequel or maybe even make it a trilogy.

The Spirits Within

Chapter One – The Spirits Within

_There once existed a world, a beutiful world free of pain, and disease…, of death, and suffering. There existed no unhappyness, no misery, and no one to enjoy this treasure. Then, God created the perfect being, Humanity . Humans had eyes to see with, ears to hear with, fingers to touch with, and a heart, a heart to feel with. They had but one weakness... The heart. People enjoyed His creation so much, that they began quarreling over it, and so was darkness in their hearts born. God, seeing as His perfect creatures didn't turn out as perfect as it seemed, He punished them. He sent from space a rock, which was named Meteor, which means "Bringer of Darkness" in the Ancient Tongue. With Meteor also came disease, death, pain and suffering, and darkness from people's hearts grew, and released the spirits within..._

200 years later…

"The spirits were then imprisoned in this special stones which went by the name of, Sora?" The teacher waited patiently for the spiky-haired boy to speak. Sora scratched his head, looking around for something that reminded him of the answer, "Err… I don't know?" he finally said, and pushed some strands of his brown hair out of his face. Another spiky-haired boy, but with crimson red hair raised his hand. "The Gemstones" he said quickly, "An ancient piece of magi technology that imprisoned spiritual or ectoplastic entities, their creation was attempted many times but the Elders only succeeded that one time-…" The teacher then interrupted, "Ok, ok that's enough." Sora looked away, "I knew that…" He said as the bell rang.

The red-haired guy yawned widely as he gathered his books. "Hey Mikau, what class you got next?" Sora nearly yelled over the noise of the other students. "Spanish, I think…" he replied. "Spanish? With the creepy new girl?" Sora asked, walking out of the room. "The who?" Mikau asked back, but as if on cue, when he walked out of the room, a girl with blonde hair passed him by, looking straight forward. She had the deepest purple eyes ever. They where the kind of eyes that made you feel depressed by just looking at them, they seemed almost not human. Hmm, her face looks familiar, Mikau thought, staring at her.

"You know, I don't really appreciate it when you're drooling over someone else."

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When I said "rewritten", I meant "rewritten", if you read the other version you'll see that it has been completely changed, for the better I hope…Well, we got two mystery people here, but fear not, they will be revealed next chapter… heh… Also, this is short, but if you have read my previous stories then you'll know that alll my intros are short...


	2. The Beginning

The Spirits Within

Chapter 2 – The Beginning

Mikau's PoV 

"What?" I whirled around and saw a girl with dark red hair staring accusingly at me. "Oh, hey Kairi. What's up?" I said. She opened her mouth to answer but the P.A. interrupted her. "Sora Granz, please report to the principal's office immediately."

"Oh crap!" he said quietly. "Now what did you do?" I asked. "Well, the principal is obviously angry at me" he said, lowering his voice. "And I did miss seven homeworks, but that's beside the point." He said, and hurried away. "Right, anyway we're gonna be late, Mike." We turned around and walked down the hallway, then she kissed me on the cheek and we went down different ways. If you haven't noticed, Kairi is my girlfriend. "Don't call me Mike…"

At Spanish class…

As soon as I entered the classroom, I searched for a place at the very back, since the teacher usually asked questions at people nearest to her, and I wasn't any good at Spanish. As soon as I sat down, the creepy blond girl with the purple eyes sat beside me, sending chills down my spine. I was never really afraid of anything, but at this moment, I didn't feel like looking at her at all, so instead, I stared down to my desk and started drawing whatever figurines came to my mind. But after a while I got bored and rested my head on my arms, and started to slowly drift off….

I was standing in front of a flaming building, holding a sword in my hand. I looked to my right and saw the same blonde girl again, staring unblinkingly at the flaming ruins, then, suddenly, turned and stared at me instead. I instinctively raised my sword, but then she started walking towards me and a voice sounded in my head, "Look, my friend, our hour of supremacy has come. Join us…" Those last two words rang in my head, for a while, and then, "Hey! Wake up!" That voice sounded familiar… "C'mon, Mike! We're gonna be late!"

I suddenly sat up, fully awake. Kairi jumped back. "Oh, hey Kai…" I stood up, "So what were you dreaming about anyway? It took me ages to get you to wake up," she said, helping me gather my books. "Apple pie… Thanks" I replied while she handed me my books. "Apple pie" was my answer to questions I was too lazy to answer and/or didn't want answered yet. Then, we made our way to lunch.

At lunch…

"So where's Sora? I haven't seen him in a while…" I asked Mikel, a kid with brown hair and eyes. "I dunno," he answered, "last time I saw him, he was doing homework, I think…" He shrugged and resumed eating his sandwich. "I bet he's scrubbing bathrooms, I mean, you know how the principal is," Kairi said with a smile. "Yeah, probably."

I stared absent-mindedly at my juice bottle, and noticed that ripples were forming in the juice, then got stronger and stronger, suddenly, the whole table was trembling, the whole building. Earthquake? Maybe. No time to think about it. I put my arms around Kairi and dove beneath the table, as did many other persons in the room. The tiles in the roof were starting to crack, lamps that hung from the ceiling rained on the students, and then, it stopped. The whole thing lasted about thirty seconds, but that was enough to inflict considerable damage. How could there be an earthquake here? This was a stable planet with no tectonic activity…

Well here is chapter 2. I don't think this was really short but if you think so, then don't worry, the chapters will get longer as the story progresses.


	3. The Covenant

The Spirits Within

Chapter 3 The Covenant

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700 Years Earlier

"Are the scouts ready? We haven't explored the forest fully yet, we have to be careful."

"Yes, Sir."

Captain Kinoarashi nodded. "Send out the party, then." He said and set off across a long, dark hallway which had several branches and rooms connected to it. He poked his head out of one such room and saw that it was empty, so he resumed his pace along the hallway. He turned right and saw one of the soldiers in his own unit, Stephen. "Yo Cap, McCormag was looking for you at C-Hall, and Elder Saus wants at the conference room at 8 o'clock." Mikau nodded and continued walking until he reached a set of glass doors, which would only open to those cleared for access. He was in A-Hall, the conference hall, he would have to head back here in a while.

A-Hall was only a square room with a long table lined with chairs but it was one of the most used in the whole Covenant HQ, especially these days what with the meteor and all. He crossed the room and entered a small side chamber which was empty except for a runic circle in its center. Runic circles are circles with, well, runes that when you stepped on it, you had only speak the place you wanted to go and you would be instantly transported there, but its power was limited so you could only use it inside the building.

"C-Hall!" Mikau cried and a blue light sorrounded him, next moment he was gone. Once he reappeared at C-Hall, he stepped out of the room and one look around the room told him it was empty, 'cept for a brown-haired man who was standing just beside the exit. "Hey, I've been waiting for you." He said. "Yes, Stephen told me. What do you want?"

"Well, I've been having some suspicions, man..." Mikau nodded. "About what?"

"It's Ansem. I don't know for sure, but I think he was behind last week's attack."

"Mike, this is a very serious accusation. Lord Ansem is a High Elder."

The High Elders were the joint leaders of the Covenant, they hold the highest rank and have run the Covenant for almost 500 years. But lately there have been hints, and rumors of corruption and betrayal. Saus was a High Elder too.

"I know, but he was gone when it happened, and he only returned only once things calmed down, and there are other things…"

"I'll speak to Elder Saus about your suspicions after today's meeting but be careful not to mention this to anyone else.

"Thanks man, I knew I could count on you…"

"I tell you this meteor is a dark omen. Ever since it crashed there have been reports of a shadow army attacking towns and settlements. Already the king of Vault has asked our assistance." Elder Honen said.

At the meeting the twelve High Elders were disscusing the effects of the meteor on all aspects, such as environmental and economically. There were only two Captains present there, Captain Kinoarashi and Reliar. Also Commander Griffith was there, he was famous for his victory over the Allied Army of the city of Canaath and Tesgaroth.

"Military?" Griffith asked.

"Indeed."

"The Kingdom of Vault has long been our ally," Mikau suddenly spoke up, "We cannot abandon them now, this is, after all, the first time they have ever asked us for armed support."

"Have you heard nothing of what has been said over and over again for the last two hours, boy?" Ansem, a tall, muscular dark-skinned man with curiously yellow eyes barked at Mikau. Mkau was, by no means, a boy, being at the age of 35, but the High Elders were so old that his age couldn't even be compared. "This army of shadows is made of darkness itself. It is impossible to defeat."

"Then what do you think we should do, my Lord Ansem?"

Elder Saus, who was tall, thin, and had a large beard, had spoken for the first time since the meeting started.

"A truce. If we declare ourselves their allies, they will not harms us." Ansem declared, with a smirk on his face.

"If we declare a truce with them it would go against everything we have fought for in the last five centuries." Griffith said, "I don't need to remind you, my lord, that the Covenant is an organization made to fight for freedom and justice of the nations of the world. And by far the only sensible advice gven has been from Kinoarashi here. We must prepare troops to set off immediately."

"Yes that is what must be done." Elder Saus, greatest of the Twelve dissmised the meeting and everyone left the room except for Ansem, Mikau, Griffith, and himself.

"This will be the downfall of the Covenant, Saus. Mark my words, the blood of our army is on your hands." Ansem said and then turned and left.

Saus turned to Mikau. "Captain, please notify Captains Heller, Troy, and Yriev of our coming actions. I want their units prepared by noon tomorrow." He said. Mikau immediately set off.

"Things are starting to fall apart, Griffith. I'm afraid we will have to put our faith in that boy…" Saus sat down, weak and tired.

"Because of his lineage? That doesn't prove that he has the same gifts as his ancestors."

"We shall see. Before the end, we will know…"


	4. In the End all Shall be Revealed

Chapter 4 - In the end, it shall be revealed…

"Stephen! Call Heller, Troy, and Yriel and relay this message to the reserve units."

Captain Kinoarashi handed Stephen an envelope containing instruccions. Suddenly he realized he forgot all about telling Lord Saus about Ansem. But it could not be helped now, for haste was needed. He went straight for A-Hall, the training grounds and army assembly site of the building.Also, the west wing contained the Chamber of Light. For the Covenant's HQ were but a single building, about five time the size of the castle of Vault. It had two wings: the west wing, containing A-Hall and Army Assembly Site, and the east wing, in which C-Hall and Living Quarters were located. But only soldiers-in-training and soldiers lived at the actual building the rest mostly lived in the outskirts of the great City of Pasadena, center of the Known World. The center part was the command center, and the High Elders' living private rooms.

Mikau was on his way to the mess hall (east wing) when he rounded a corner and found himself face to face with Mike.

"I heard part of the army is going to Vault", said Mike. Mikau nodded.

"Are you going?" asked Mike again.

"No. My unit and I are to be the personal escort of Lord Straus, on his way to Arkane City."

"Oh. So am I to stay here and defend the castle? Again?"

"How am I supposed to know? Ask Griffith or Achilles." Mikau said with a shrug, and walked away. Little did he know that that would be the last time he ever saw his best friend again.

30 days later, at C-Hall…

"My lords, it with my deepest regret that I must inform you that the garrison at Vault has fallen, the shadow army is headed straight for us. As we speak they are crossing the river Gatrhe and will be here by tomorrow afternoon." Griffith reported.

Lord Saus shook his head. "My fellow Elders, I believe we are left no other choice than to use the power of the Gemstone."

Lord Hubert stood up. "The Gemstone? Preposterous! Only those of Sheikra descent have the power to wield that stone. The Shiekra have been extinct for the last 2 millenia."

"Indeed they were, Hubert, as far as we knew. But not 50 years ago I discovered the remnants of an ancient Sheikra bloodline. The man who has these tarces of Shiekra blood told me that his ancestors had extraordinary powers, but he could not remember their names. The man's name was… Ciros Kinoarashi, may he rest in peace."

"He is dead?" Lord Kiron said, utterly surprised.

"Indeed. But his only son, Mikau, is currently in our service and is on the way here from Arkane."

"Mikau Kinoarashi? Is he not the captain whose unit won the Battle of Eirlias?"

"Yes he is", said Griffith, "He is under my command. If we hold out for about 2 days he will be here."

"But by then it could be too late!" said Lord Hubert.

"It is our only hope, our last desperate attempt…" replied Griffith. We must find his family and lead it to safety."

"Safety? Where?"

"Arkane, of course…"

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Chapter 4 (part 2) 'Till the end of time…

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I was on my way from the city of Arkane, having delivered Lord Straus to a small Covenant instalation near the Great Temple of Arkane, which was a place of incredible spiritual power. It had been two days since Griffith's message arrived to me:

Cap. Kinoarashi,

Return immediately to Covenant, Saus needs your powers.

Atte. Cmnd. Griffith.

I already knew what lay in store for me at the Covenant. I knew we had been beaten, and Saus had no choice but to use it… The Gemstone, a stone imbued with the power of Terra Light, which was a gigantic gem from which light energy flowed. The Gemstone was said to have the power to vanquish the spirits of darkness. But the only one who could use it was me. Because of some powers I'm supposed to have inherited from my ancestors. But I was ready.

I was ready for anythign that came, except for what I saw when I rounded the last turn in the forest path. The Covenant was in ruins. The east wing was half destroyed and the center part had been taken down form its foundations. The west wing was untouched.. There were bodies everywhere… too many bodies. More than our own numbers, which had only one explanation. The spirits could enter the bodies of humans and possess them. That explained their numbers.

"Kinoarashi!"

A voice! Where?

"Over here." I wirled left and saw Griffith. He was crawling, covered in blood. His own blood…

"Commander!" I ran to him.

"No time… Take it… Do your work…" he reached into his pocket and produced a small rhombus shaped stone, the Gemstone.

"What? But I don't… Why… where is Lord Saus? Where is everyone?"

"Doesn't… matter… Ansem… west wing… quickly…" He closed his eyes and never opened them again…

"No…"

I loved him like a father, but there was no time to grieve. I knew where to go: The Chamber of Light, where Terra Light was before it was moved to the Vault for security reasons, and the resting place of the Gemstone. Of course there was nothing to fear, for I ha dthe Gemstone, but I couldn't help but imagine what I would find there.

I ran for the west wing and found a passage wide open due to the destruction of the adjacent part. I raced for the stairs and went up about five flights of stairs until I reached the hallway that led to my destination. I beheld a terrible sight when I reached the Chamber: Lord Hubert lay on the floor, dead. Beside him lay Cmnd. Achilles, also dead. Ansem stood in the center with an escort of about 6 soldiers, but not normal soldiers, for they had a look of evil and their pupils were purple. Beside them knelt Saus, his staff broken.

"Mikau!" Saus said as soon as I entered.

"Ah! Kinoarashi, how nice of you to join us. We were expecting you." Ansem said, and produced a sword from thin air.

"Mikau! Use it! The stone is your only hope!"

I didn't have time to even draw my sword. Ansem rushed at me and I raised my arm, holding the Gemstone. The Stone shone with a brilliant, white light, and at the same time I felt the burning pain of a sword going through mmy stomach.

Suddenly, Saus and I were alone. Ansem was gone, along with his escort. I felt my own consciousness was slipping, and then, time stopped…

"Child, well done." Saus, rose from the floor and faced me. Nothing else was moving in the room, The shards from the stained glass windows that broke with the energy of the stone were frozen midair.

"What happened? Am I… Am I dead?" I asked.

"Not yet. But your wound is fatal. But it does not matter, for your work is done. Ansem and his army has been sealed inside the stone."

"Doesn't matter?" I said, surprised. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? Why… How did you know it was Ansem?" I blurted out. I had about two million wuestions, but only that one came out.

"I had my suspicions from a long time ago." He replied, calmly.

"What about my family? What happened to Mike?"

"Your family has been moved to Arkane City, and Cptn. Mikel is wounded, but will recover."

"Arkane… Good, good, um…" I felt that there was much to be said, but I couldn't say anything. "So this is it for me? This is the end?" It had been so sudden, I hadn't even had time to register it.

"Child, there is more to life than death. You gave your life to save the world, if only for some time."

"Some time? Isn't Ansem gone?"

"No, he is sealed inside the stone. Maybe, if his power grows inside the stone, he will escape. But that is not likely to happen in some centuries." Saus said. Suddenly, I saw his eyes went watery and a tear dropped from his cheek. "When you are ready I will release the spell, and you will die."

Of course I wasn't ready, I hadn't expected this to happen so fast. But I knew there was nothing else to be done. I nodded. "Just make sure my family is taken care of. And say goodbye to them for me. And to Mike."

He nodded, waved his hand, and time started again. I felt my world go black, and then, I felt nothing at all…


	5. Hour of Supremacy

Previously:

The last two chapters told the story of the downfall of the Covenant and the death of Mikau Kinoarashi, captain of the Covenant and Mikau's (Chapter 1,2,5) ancestor. Ansem, was sealed inside the Gemstone along with all of his soldiers ( hence the name, the spirits within). Now the story continues with Mikau and the aftermath of the earthquake.

The Spirits Within

Chapter 5- Hour of supremacy…

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The brief earthquake lasted about half a minute, but the damage had been significant. The large cafeteria room had been torn apart, tables lay upturned across the floor, not a single one of the hanging lamps remained at their original position, and the food trays were scattered across the floor. But that was the least of it, for not a second after the earthquake passed I started hearing the moans and cries of hurt people all around the room. I myself had a rather large cut across my right cheek caused by a falling roof-tile. I guess I was lucky I didn't get hit directly. I turned to check on my friends and my heart sank when I saw Sora lying on the floor, not moving at all…

"Sora! Sora! Wake up man!" Mike yelled, trying in vain to wake Sora.

"Oh my God…. Is he dead?" Kairi whispered.

"I don't think so..." I said, "He's got a pulse…"

With all the confusion going on, I guess nobody noticed that the new creepy girl was gone. All over the room I could hear desperate voices crying for an ambulance or other things… Like their parents… Suddenly I heard a voice, a tiny voice nobody seemed to notice. It was a little kid. I knew him, he was the principal's kid, so every now and then he came to school and walked around the corridors trying to put people in detention. Nobody liked him very much, even if he was like 8 or so…

The point is he was in trouble, his leg was trapped under some rubble and he couldn't get free, so I caught Mike's eye and nodded towards the kid. He got the message and got up to help me remove the rubble. After the kid was free, he thanked us with tears in his eyes and ran off to find his dad.

I left Kairi with Sora and, with Mike's help, went around the room helping people in need, at least until the ambulances arrived. Every now and then I looked at Kairi, and saw that she had a proud smile on her face when she looked at me. That made me fell a bit better…

Some hours later, at home….

"Mom, when is dad getting home?" My little sister, Maria, whinned.

"I don't know sweetie, you know he has a difficult job…" My mom replied.

See, my dad is a Gemknight, which are knights employed by the king to protect the Great Temple of Arkane, which housed the Gemstone, yes, the one from the legend he teacher spoke about. My dad is also elven, which makes me a half-elf, I guess. I think I am the only half-elf left in Arkane, since its not exactly tradition for elves and humans to mix, but then again, Arkane is a big kingdom. And if you were wondering, yeah I do have slightly pointy ears (embarassing…) and am unusually adept to using magic, but only of a single element, to keep things simple. Some of my friends are also magic users, but I always get their elements mixed up. Me, I use Fire, mostly.

Anyway, there had been a big commotion at the Great Temple at the same time of the earthquake and my father, bound by duty, went to check it out. By now the news of what had happened where all over the television: apparently, the Great Temple had been destroyed by the earthquake and the ruins where now burning with a strange fire that could not be put out. The weird thing was that the eatherquake had been to weak to damage the Temple, well and the fire too, I guess.

Then I remembered the dream. And I remembered the blonde girl, the girl with the evil eyes. I had to admit, except for the eyes, she was kinda good-lookin'. Don't ever tell Kairi I said that…

She had said something about supremacy, but supremacy of what? She stared at me with those evil, lifeless eyes… And the sword that I held, that was definetly my father's sword: the Sword of the Gemknight. Only they carried it and supposedly only they can wield it. But I held it in my hand and it was light as a feather, and it felt powerful, I felt powerful…

"Mikau? Are you ok?"

Suddenly I snapped form my daydream. It was my father.

"Oh. Hey dad. What's happening at the Temple?" I asked immediately.

"I'm not sure," he answered, "but we couldn't put out the fire, so the king sent us all home."

"And what about the Gemstone?" My mom, this time.

"No idea,it's supposed to be stored underground so it shouldn't be compromised, and the King wouldn't let anyone in, for fear that the building would collapse over our heads."

"Thank God for the King, then" My mom said, and then walked to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

But something told me that the Gemstone was not safe at all…

Later that night, I lay on my bed, wide awake. I knew from the moment I laid myself down it would be a sleepless night. Believe it or not, it was the dream that kept me awake, and I sensed that it was trying to tell me something. I rose form my bed and went to the window to open it. I looked towards th empty road that lay in front of my house. Empty. I saw a shadow to the left, but I dissmised as a stray dog. Well, at least until I saw the hair. Blonde hair, at shoulder length. There could be no mistake, it was the girl from my dream, headed for the Temple, or rather, what was left of it.

At once I knew what I had to do. Follow her to the Temple. I silently walked out of my room and to the secret room where my father stored his armor and weapons, he always kept it locked but tonight, as if destiny had deliberately did it to aid me, he had forgotten to lock it. I opened the door and turned the lights on. The room was small and square but in it lay my dad's Gemknight armor and his sword. I quickly took the sword and left the house.

I stole throught the road to the Temple, careful to stay away from any stray light. The sword wieghed me down slightly, but I still tried to keep it hidden. It wasn't a very long way to the temple, but I soon lost sight of blondie. After about 10 minutes of walking, the flaming ruins of the temple finally came into view, and sure enough, blondie was standing there, making no effort to remain hidden, or moving at all.

I knew then that she had noticed me ever since I came out of my house, so abandoning my hidding place, I walked up to the building and stood some distance from her. I drew my sword, and held it at my side, ready. Then I looked at blondie, and she looked at me, and said: "You are too late."

I stared… For a long time. Then I responded with the obvious question: "What?"

"You can't stop us. We are free now, after all this time… Ankemeth has set us free…"

"Ankemeth? You mean… Ansem?" I blurted out, remembering the legend of the betrayal of High Elder Ansem and the fall of the Covenant.

"Yes… Now that the power of the stone is broken, we are free to conquer this world… And it's people…" she turned to the building again and then simply walked away.

"Wait!" I yelled after her, "Where are you going?"

"To my master."

"You mean Ansem? Answer me!" but she didn't. She walked on and soon disappeared from sight. I knew then that I should've followed her, but I had this burning curiosity. I had to know if what she said was true. I had to find the Gemstone. I walked to the ruined entrance, which was now clear of fire, and entered the superstructure. The inside of the temple was immense.All around me, standing and fallen columns of the whitest stone lay. I walked up to the main Altar, which was cracked in half. Behind it, a hole had been blasted into the wall, revealing a staircase. I walked down the stairs and found myself in a small chamber. Windowless, and brilliantly white. In the center there was a pedestal, and beside it, in the floor, lay the Gemstone.

It was difficult to believe, that the Stone, the same stone that participated in the last battle of the Covenant seven hundred years ago, was laying on the floor in front of him, like an old rock that someone may have found in their yard. I bent to pick it up, but my arm froze about three milimeters away from the stone. I was about to touch the very same stone that my ancestor held in his hand when he died… Then, at the same time that my finger touched the stone, the room disappeared…

I was standing in whiteness, literally. There was no visible floor or walls, and everywhere I looked there was only whiteness.

"Where… Where am I?" I whispered. Then she spoke.

"You are inside the Stone, child." I turned. At first I could see no one, but then, slowly, a woman emerged from the mist.

She was a beautiful woman, with white hair that flowed down to her knees. She wore a white gown that melded with the background and gave the impression that she was nothing but a floting head and floating arms and legs. She was also very pale. But I was not scared. Something about her told me not to be afraid. That she was a friend.

"I am Agnes." She stated, without waiting to be asked, "I am the spirit of the Stone. I guard and suppress those that are sealed here. But alas, the leader proved to be strong."

"Leader? Of what?" I asked. She seemed willing to explain, so I would take advantage of it.

"Of the Dark Spirits, of course. Those who were sealed here seven centuries ago have at last surpassed my power. I suppressed their will and kept them here all this time, but even my power has limits."

"You… You called me here didn't you?"

"Yes, child. We have great need of your power. Now that they have broken out, the world is in danger, for their leader, Ankemeth, will stop at nothing in order to ravage this land."

I wondered why everyone called Ansem "Ankemeth".

"Ok so… You want me to fight them… Right?" I said.

"Yes."

"But why me?"

"The nature of your being, combined with your ancestry." She said, "Child, you are half-elven, the first half-elf to be born in your family. You are also of the Shiekra, powerful beings who created this prison. Those combined make you the perfect warrior against these beasts." She calmly replied. I would have to ask dad later if the part about being the only half-elf in the family was true. And who the hell where the Shriekers or whatever she said.

"Fine. I'll think about it. But either way, I cannot do this alone. I will need companions."

"Indeed you will. If you decide to proceed with this, I will lend you a part of my power, the power of the Gemstone. To you, and the companions that you chose."

"Fine." I said, just as calm. I had decided that oanic and fear would accomplish nothing.

"Then I will send you to your home. I expect an answer in the next two days."

"You got it."

Suddenly I blinked, and when I opened my eyes I was lying on my bed. Like if nothing had happened at all. I wondered then if I hadn't just woken from the strangest dream in my life, but the fact that I was still fully clothed, and the sword tied to my waist proved their point.

Tomorrow would be a difficult day…

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	6. Fate

Maybe the story is a bit confusing so far, and some stuff may seem like mistakes or simply not logical, or rushed or whatever, but everything I write that's left unconcluded will be answered later, weird stuff that happens will also be answered. And if you were wondering, not much about the actual KH will appear here. Prolly just some small elements and characters. Who knows if you guys want I'll add some more stuff about it. I don't know I wanna hear your opinion.

The Spirits Within

Chapter 6 – Fate

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Ever since the earthquake things have been a little hectic. The King had ordered a blockade that stood outside the city walls so that no one could go in or out, except for the army, of course. My dad had been spending much of his time at home, seeing as there no longer was a temple to defend, but they still paid him a normal salary in order to support his family.

School was up again, damaged, but functional. Still, my parents wouldn't let Maria out of the house for fear of another earthquake. But I did go today, I had to in order to get my friends together and talk about what happened yesterday. I had a couple classes and soon noticed that the blonde girl was nowhere to be found. The only thing I knew about her was that she was still inside the city, but only because of the blockade.

I was in history class, along with Sora and Kairi when I wrote a little note to them saying: "My place. After school." They both caught my eye and nodded. Then, after class, I met Mikel in the hallway and just as I passed beside him and he was about to say "Hiho" I slipped a note in his pocket and kept walking. He stood there stratled for a while, then read the note, nodded, and walked away too.

x x x

So it happened that the four of us where sitting in my room. My house was empty for my family had gone wandering to who knows where. I told them about what had happened last night.

"This is strange." Mikel stated the obvious, "so you're saying that this spirit, and not blondie, called you to the chamber, brought you inside of the Gemstone, and then told you to fight this alleged spirits for no reason at all. Tempting."

I smiled. Mikel had always been the funny guy, smart, but funny. "I do have a reason: To save the world." Then what I expected to happen happened. They all burst into laughter, well all except Kai. I could always count on her being serious when it was needed.

"So why tell this to us?" asked Sora.

"I need you guys to help me." I stated. They looked at me for a long time.

"No." said Mikel suddenly. "First tell us everything."

"Okay" I said, drawing breath, "This are the same spirits from seven centuries ago; yes the ones Ansem commanded. They broke out of the Stone. It seems that Ansem has begun to gather troops to invade… the world I guess."

"So you're telling us that in a little time some spirit will take over the world?" Sora said.

"Not all at once obviously, he'll most likely start with the small countries. Countries like Vault."

"Okay, but if his army is made up of spirits how does he plan on attacking?" Mikel asked.

"They have the ability to take over the bodies of someone else. Possession. They will most likely gather hosts, silently. Then launch a full-scale attack."

"So then how do we recognize the good guys and bad guys?"

"Their eyes. They turn deep purple if they have a spirit inside. It's already begun. Didn't you notice Ms. Aldman? Or that goth kid? How about the janitor?"

"And Naminè…" said Kairi in a misty, far-off voice. Her blue eyes seemed to be staring into nothing.

"Who?" I asked, thought I think I already knew the answer.

"Creepy new girl," said Sora, "We snuck into the file room and checked her name."

"Naminè" I repeated. _That's a strange name._

"Mikau do you know what you're asking of us?" Mikel said, with a serious face, "You are asking us to fight and to die for something that might not even be true. Are you really willing to ask this of Kairi? She's your girlfriend man, do you really want her to die?"

"Hey! I'm right here, jerk!" Kairi yelled at Mikel. Mikel turned to her surprised.

"I-I-I was only…"

"I can make this decision by myself! I don't need you or anyone to make it for me!" She yelled.

Suddenly everything was quiet. You could hear the birds outside, the leaves of nearby trees rustling with the wind. We hadn't even decided if we would do it or not and things we're already falling apart. Suddenly I wished I hadn't gone to the temple. Hadn't met Agnes. Hadn't met Naminè. I wished I had someone to talk to about it all, someone who was older than me, who would tell me what to do next. But I knew that this was my own problem. That no one would suddenly appear and tell me what to say, what to think, what to do.

"Listen," Sora said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Let's think it over today, and tomorrow we decide."

I nodded, and Sora and Mikel stood up and left the house. From the window I could see them say goodbye and go in the direccion of their homes. Kairi and I were alone, so I proposed that we should go to the park. To talk… to think…

x x x

I sat beside Kairi, in silence, while we contemplated all the beautiful things in life. The trees, the grass, the small of blooming flowers. We sat in a small bench at the park. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I could smell her shampoo. A sweet flowery smell that reminded me of Fall. I always thought that it suited her hair, the smell, but whenever I pointed this out she made a face and said: "You're weird." We both had red hair, but mine was much brighter than hers. I guess that's why people said we looked cute together, though I couldn't see what was so damn cute about hair color.

"You're going anyway, aren't you?" She said suddenly.

"What?" I responded, surprised.

"Even if they say no, you'll go anyway right?"

"… Yeah."

"I thought so."

"Kai, even if we do go, I… I think it's better if you stay here." She lifted her head, scoffed and looked at me in the eye.

"So you told me all of this, and you expect me to just forget about it and stay like a good girl?" I didn't answer… "Is it because I'm a girl? You think I'll get in the way?"

"Of course not, Kai. I'ts because you're my girl." I smiled at my weird comment, "It's because I don't want you to get hurt. I care about you to much to see you get hurt."

She smiled also, but then straightened her face and stood up.

"If you don't take me with you, I will follow you." She said, and with those words I knew that there could be no convincing her to stay. I stood up also, and hugged her. We just held each other for some time, then she said, "Count me in." Then we kissed, as though nothing could fall…

x x x

"Give me one good reason Mikau, and not that save-the-world crap, I mean a real reason."

I was at Mikel's now, along with Kairi. He had refused to join us, so we reverted to good ol' persuation.

"How about fame? World renown! You'll be rich! You'll be in every new station in the world!" said Kairi, desperately trying to sell the idea. "C'mon Mike, you know we need you." She said doing her puppy eyes crap that always got me, but it never worked on him.

"Let it go Kai, if he won't go, we won't force him, but when we're dead and he's under Ansem's rule, he will regret this decision." I said. And smiled inwardly. That ought to do it. We stayed in silence for a while, waiting. Then finally:

"Allright, fine! I'll do it. Call Sora and tell him to come here, we need to state some ground rules, before we do anything." He said, with a face of deep contempt. And so, we called Sora, he came and we sat down.

"Wait, Kai's coming too?" Sora asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, she's… persuasive." I said shifting my weight.

"Apparently so…" Mikel said under his breath. "Right so, now that we're all here, we need to decide on a few things: First, a leader. Second, a name, third, an objective (a clear one)."

"Well, Mikau's leader" Kairi said.

"What? Why?" I protested. I knew that I would be chosen leader, but I still had to complain, for modesty's sake.

"Because the spirit chose you. And because you're like 20 or so." Mikel said.

True. I prolly haven't mentioned this, but half-elves develop slower than normal humans, because we're long lived. My chronological age is 23, but if you looked at me, you would only see a 15 year old punk.

"Second, then." Sora said, "How about the Angels of Justice?"

"Yeah, we're trying to keep this straight, as in not gay." Mike responded.

"How about the Covenant?" I said. It sounded fitting, for we were going to continue the Covenant's battle.

"I like it." Said Kairi.

"More like you like him." Sora said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Ok," Mikel said, "Covenant it is. Now where do we start off, oh great leader?"

"The Temple…" I said. "Tonight, at 10:00 sharp at the temple ruins."

x x x

The rest of the day I spent it with Kairi, the only person I really wanted to be with then. We were once again at the park, which is not too far from the Temple. We were laying in the grass, watching the sky go from blue, to orange, to red, then purple, and finally deep, navy blue. I held her hand in mine, and her hand's warmth was all that I could feel.

"Hey… What's wrong?" she asked, and with good reason, for without knowing my face had kind of twisted into a look of deep worry and apprehension.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"We both know it's not nothing, Mikau. Now tell me."

I stared into her blue eyes, and all my worries seemed to evaporate, but as soon as I looked away, they came back.

"Everything's wrong. This is all wrong. All this is screwed up and all I can think about is that you and I have only been dationg for 2 weeks and now we won't get to spend any time together."

"What are you talking about? We'll be together all the time. We're travelling together, remember?" she said, smiling broadly.

"Yeah I guess you're right." I said, uneasily. But that wasn't all that was nagging in my head. What if we did get killed, like Mikel said? It would be my fault. I'm the leader, responsible for everyone in the team. I had to take care of everyone. But then again, I still had to try. I could fight and die, or I could run and live, if only for a little while, and all throught that while I will be thinking about how I would give everything and anything just for a chance to walk up to them and tell that they could take our lives, but not our freedom. Hell, now I sound like Mel Gibson.

"Mikau, talk to me, please. Of all the people I know, you're the ome I know less about, and the one that I'm most intersted in finding out about. Ok, that was confusing. But please open up to me-"

"Kai, it's nothing, I'm just thinking." I said, making a 'calm down' face. She stood up, looking like she was mad at something.

"It's nine thirty, we should get going." She said, not looking at me.

"Yeah, I guess we should…"

x x x

By the time we arrived at the temple, Sora and Mikel were already there. Guess they were just too anxious to wait.

"You're early." I said.

"So are you," Mikel added and looked at Kairi, "and you. I guess dating the boss does have its perks."

We all laughed a bit, but the laughter was quickly extinguished. Sora was looking a bit green and his face looked like he was about to hurl.

"Nervous?" I asked.

"Is it that obvious?" He responded sarcastically.

"Just try to hold it in once we get in the Chamber." I joked. He didn't laugh. "Oooook…"

We entered the Chamber about 15 minutes later. Everything was the same, except that the Gemstone now floated a few inches above the pedestal. I guess it was restored to its original position after what happened the before last.

"You guys ready?" I said. They all nodded so I motioned to touch the Stone, but this time, I wasn't transported to the inside of the Stone, but I could hear Agnes' voice inside my head.

"_Welcome back, child. Have you decided yet?"_

"Yeah. We'll do it."

"Umm… Mikau? Who are you talking with?" I turned. Everyone was looking at me, confused.

"You can't hear her?"

"Hear who?" Sora said.

"_They can't hear me yet. But they soon will. Are these your chosen companions?"_

I turned away from them, leaving them as confused, "Yeah, they are."

"_Good."_

"Hey! Someone's speaking inside my head!" Kairi said, a little too loud.

"That's Agnes, the Spirit of the Gemstone." I could hear her too, she was telling us that she would take us inside the Gemstone in order to pass her power on to us. And soon enough we found ourselves in that white, empty space. Agnes appeared before us.

"Mikau Kinoarashi," she said, "Master of Fire. Intelligence, destruction, wisdom, and courage. Is this the path you choose?"

I had no idea of what she meant by path, but still I said "I do." Suddenly I felt this warmth enter my body, the kind of warm that makes you feel… powerful, like you can do anything in the world.

"Sora Granz, Wielder of all Elements. Courage, justice, valor. Is this the path you choose?"

"I do." Sora said.

"Receive your weapon." Agnes waved her hand and the most peculiar weapon I had ever seen appeared in Sora's hand. It looked like a key, but it was clearly a blade. The hilt was also strange for it consisted of a golden circle that went from the blade, to the bottom of the thin cylinder with which you hold the sword, also, a keychain hung from the blade. It kind of ressembled a mouse's head.

"The keyblade."

Everyone raised our eyebrows at this. It was a stupid looking weapon, but it still had that look of deadliness you get from a normal sword. Then Agnes spoke again.

"Mikel Chormag, Master of Lightning. Courage, peace, wisdom, and power. Is this the path you choose?"

"I do." Mikel said.

"Receive your weapon." She waved her hand again. This time, a whip appeared in his hand, it was black and shiny. It looked strong.

"Reginleigh."

Mikel simply nodded. Then, as expected, Agnes spoke again.

"Kairi Leda, Mistress of Water. Peace, purity, justice, inner strenght. Is this the path you choose?"

"I do." Kairi said, feeling like if she was getting married.

"Receive your weapon." And waved her hand again.

It was a staff, this time. It was pearly white, tipped with a star. The star was sorrounded by two golden arcs. Finally, it was done. We had accepted our fate and now prepared to face off against destiny.

"It is finished," Agnes said, "I hereby pronounce you Kinghts of Gemstone-"

"Uh, actually, we already have a name…" Sora interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah we kinda chose it before coming here." Kairi added.

"And what is this name?"

"The Covenant." Said I.

She smiled, "A fitting name. Then I hereby pronounce you Knights of The New Covenant."

I smiled, then nodded. "What should we do first then?" I asked.

"I would like to impose on you a test," she said.

"A test?" Kairi said, "Isn't it a bit late for that?"

"It is never too late." Agnes smiled, "This test consists on liberating a young girl which you have already met. She has been tainted with a Dark Spirit. Once you liberate her, bring her here, please."

"Fine then, will you tell us how to liberate her?" I asked.

"Yes: You shall take this Gemstone, and when you hold it in front of her and speak this words, she will be free. These are the words: _In the name of The Holy Trinity, and by the power vested in me by the Shiekra, I proclaim you free of your captive."_

"The Holy Trinity? You mean… God?" Sora said, apparently perplexed.

"The very same," Agnes said, "The Shiekra were people who were very close to God."

Suddenly we were back in the Chamber. Agnes had sent us back, and now we had a job to do…

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I think this was a good chapter. Hell I enjoyed writing this so it IS a good chapter jeje. Anyway R&R I rally wanna hear your thoughts on it.

Also I would like ot note that this is my fastest update ever! It took me one day to write this and publish it! Wuuu!


	7. To Kill A King

Yes indeed, Med, time for the real journey to start... Well, kinda...

Note: Any names of places that actually exist and appear here have no relation with each other. For example, the kingdom of Pasadena and the actual city of Pasadena have no relation whatsoever.

The Spirits Within

Chapter 7 – To Kill a King

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It had been a few weeks since our strange initiation, and our search for Naminè has so far been fruitless. Its not that we weren't trying hard enough, but the fact that we didn't have many search options available. We couldn't exactly put posters in milk cartons and stuff like that. The only thing we knew about her was her appearance, and the fact that she is still inside the city.

How do we know, you ask? Well a few days ago, when the earthquake first came, the King of Arkane ordered a blockade to stand outside the city so that no one could get in or out. The only way to get past was permission from the king himself, which, in the current crisis of rebuilding the city, was very difficult to get.

"Maybe she knows we're looking for her." Mikel said.

We we're sitting at our usual lunch table at school. School. After all that has happened and all that we had learned, school seemed incredibly meaningless. But on the other hand, if we suddenly abandoned school people would start to ask uncomfortable questions, and since the enemy could be anywhere, no one could know about our secret.

"I don't think so." Sora replied. "I mean, if she is truly inhabited by a seven hundred year old spirit, then wouldn't she have found a way to get out by now?"

"Probably, but we still have to count on the fact that they don't want to draw attention to themselves for now." Kairi said.

I had remained quiet for the whole discussion. I wans't thinking about anything at all. Not some brilliant plan to capture Naminè, nor the Math test I had just failed. I was simply disconnected. Not paying attention.

"Miikaaauuuuuuu…"

Suddenly I woke from my daydream. Everyone was staring at me. "What?"

"I asked," Kairi said, "what you thought about this whole thing?"

"What I think?" I said, " I think that we're approaching this the wrong way. I think that if we keep looking for her, we're never gonna find her."

"So you want to flush her out?" Mikel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Not exatly." Suddenly, I saw the goth kid I mentioned before staring at us, like if he was trying to hear our conversation. "Listen, let's continue this later," I said, and nodded towards the eavesdropper. Mikel turned and at the same time, the kid looked away. Mikel nodded.

X X X

After school, we gathered at my place to plan our next move.

"Well?" Mikel said with a look of expectancy.

"Well." I replied, "It's kind of easy. We need to think about what she wants, what she's willing to do to get it, and what's the thing that she's most likely to do. So, we know that she want's to get out of the city, and we know that the only way to do that is to get permission from the king."

"She ain't gonna wait for permission." Kairi said.

"So she'll try to force it out." I replied.

"P-p-possession?" Sora looked horrified. His face was contorted with fear just by thinking of what our enemy was capable of.

"What's wrong with you? You knew they could do that." I was puzzled, but not surprised by his reaction.

"Yeah, but imagine if they just took over kings! There would be no need for open war, no need to expose themselves. They could just take over the world right beneath our noses and we would never know about it… until it's too late…"

I nodded. Our enemy was not only powerful, but cunning and ancient. Just thinking about it scared me too, but it was my job to be strong. "We need to protect the king."

"And maybe, just maybe," Mikel added, "Naminè will be there too."

"We need to set up an audience with the king." I said.

"What for?" Sora asked.

"To warn him, of course."

"What good will that do? All we do is get him worried, but it's not like he can avoid it."

"Who knows… I still have to tell him."

"Ok," Mikel said, with a face of 'your funeral', "But we go together."

X X X

It was only after three days that we actually got an audience with th king. It was a sad, deppressing day. Cloudy as hell, and the weatherman predicted a heavy storm.

Today was the big day. I had my mother help me choosing clothes for our audience with the king. She thought I was going on a cultural visit to the castle, not to see the actual king. Also, I had combed my hair for the first time in almost 2 years. I looked stupid, but I couldn't exactly walk in to the most important place in the city with the usual mess that was my hair.

I was wearing some of my father's old clothes because, according to my mother, mine we're to juvenile or something. Ever since the events at the temple I had been carrying the Gemstone in my pocket, just in case. Also, I had spent many sleepless nights repeating the words of liberation.

_In the name of The Holy Trinity…_

I was finally ready. With my father's clothes, and armed with his sword, I looked like a true warrior. Felt like a true warrior.

We had arranged to meet on the street right outside the castle thrity minutes before our assigned hour to meet the king. And that's where I was right now, waiting. I was staring at the superstructure that rose in front of me. An architectural wonder of ancient art. Home to the ruler of one of the biggest country in the world. Second only to the great kingdom of Pasadena, which lay at the center of the modern map.

Suddenly I heard a slight giggle behind me, followed by a snort and another laugh. I turned around and saw Kairi, Sora, and Mikel standing there, all seemingly amused by something.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"Dude," Sora said between laughs, "Your hair… It's… it's just… hilarious!"

And everyone broke down in giggles again.

I looked away and turned around. "C'mon. We're gonna be late…" And in we went.

The castle was just as spectacural in the inside as in the outside. Columns rose from the floor all the way to the sky-high ceiling. Ancient paintings lined the walls, as well as beautiful statues and pedestals with tiny statuettes. The four of us walked through the entrance hall in twos. People went to and fro in the hall, from door to door, corridor to corridor, like busy little ants. We reached the end of the hall and stood before a myriad of doors: one led left, another right, the one in front of us led to a staircase that went up into the next floor, and another door beside it led down to the dungeons.

"Did the king ever think of signposts? I mean not everyone who comes here lives here." Complained Mikel, " I mean, we're in the modern age, we have T.V! We have telephones! Why the hell do we still have monarchy and why do we still fight with swords!"

I think everyone present in the hall turned to look at him. We also decided to ignore him.

"That one." I said, pointing to the one that led up. And so we ascended the stairs. After going up, we walked down a long corridor and at the end there was a large wooden door. Beside it was a plaque that read: "Audience Hall".

"Happy now Mike?" I said smiling.

"I… well… What's the use for it now anyway? There's only one door…" he said, defeated.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go in." Sora shoved me towards the door.

We walked into another way-too-large room. The walls were lined with gigantic stained glass windows, and between those, golden chandelabrums hung. From the ceiling hung big chandeliers maxe of what I think was glass, since they were so clear.

All along the floor a thin, red carpet lay all the way to two thrones, were the king and queen were sitting, midway through a meeting with what seemed to be a young knight.

The Knight was short, real short, wearing full-body armor so I couldn't see if it was a he or a she. Beneath the helmet I thought I caught a bit of blonde hair. I had a bad feeling about this, so I stepped forward.

"Hey! Where do ya think yer goin'?" It was one of the guards. "Wait fer yer turn!"

I stopped and turned to the king, who had looked up at us. He turned back to the knight and nodded. He or she or whatever turned on his/her heel and walked towards the exit. Towards us. And believe me, he did not look pleased. As he/she passed, a sudden, strong smell entered my nose. I can't really explain it, for it was beyond words.

_The smell of darkness…_ A voice in my head said.

It was her. Naminè. I had been looking for her for almost a month, and now she passed beside me and I had been unable to do anything. I stood there frozen until a voice snapped me back to the real world.

"Ok ye can go now." The guard said. So I quickly stepped forward and was halfway trotting towards the king when he stood up, and with surprising speed he walked to me, and we met halfway across the room. I stopped short.

The king was a man in his mid-40's, with a brown beard and equally brown hair. He was thin, tall, and had the look of royalty. Just by looking at this man I knew that he was a great king.

So he walked up to me, and once we met he simply stood there, staring at me.

"Your Highness, I-" He raised his hand in sign of silence, so I stopped talking. He walked closer to me, and with a fast movement he grabbed my sword and took it out of it's scabbard (that's how its said no?) before I could do anything.

"The Sword of the Gemknight." He said, after examinating it closely, "invincible courage, a sword of terrible destruction… How did you come by this?"

"I-I didn't steal it if that's what you mean." I said shakily, not really getting what he had just said.

"Indeed not. You have eyes of someone who is truthful. What is your name?"

"Kinoarashi, sir. Mikau Kinoarashi."

"Kinoarashi? Ah, I know your father well."

He looked up as he saw the others approaching. "And who are they?"

I stood back to let him get a better look. His eyes stopped the most at Sora, and widened a bit when he saw Reginleigh, the whip, and Kairi's staff. Sora's keyblade had dissapeared and would only appear at Sora's request. "Sora Granz. Mikel Chormag. Kairi Leda." I said, signaling the owners of the names. "We are the Knights of The New Covenant."

"Indeed." The king murmured, staring at our each of our faces closely. "Well, why have you come?"

But my attention was elsewhere. I was staring at the Queen. She resembled someone I had seen before. Recently. Her face was pearly white, and she lookd tall, though I couldn't tell since she wasn't standing. But I had seen the face before. Suddenly it dawned on me. "Agnes." I said out loud.

"What?" The king stared, and so did the queen. "No. This is Helena, my wife. And your Queen." He stated, puzzled. The Queen just stared, her face expressionless.

"My Lord." I said, "I came to warn you about an attempt on your life."

The king chukled. "My son, you waste your time. I have a pretty good security system around here." He pointed to the guards at the door, and the guards stationed around the room.

"There's also an issue regarding signposts, my Lo-" Mikel started to say, but was cut off by a loud explosion downstairs.

Everyone's attention in the room turned to the door; perhaps this is why nobody noticed the Queen exit through a back door.

Sora immediately summoned his Keyblade, I drew my sword, and both Kairi and Mikel drew swrods we had bought earlier, for use as a primary weapon, while the staff and whip would remain secondary. The King also drew a beautiful, jewelled sword.

"It's them." Sora said. I knew that even before he said it. We all did. The stench was the main giveaway.

"At the ready knights!" Yelled the King to his guards, and they all drew swords and shields, and barricaded the doors.

I breathed heavily. We had no fighting experience, except for the brief swordplay lessons we had taken at the Arkanian Academy of Swordplay.I felt the adrenaline creep through my veins as the doors were suddenly thrown open, sending all the guards flying.

There stood Naminè, helmet gone. Her face was expressionless, her deep, purple eyes, cold. "Kill them." She said in an unnaturally deep voice. Throught the doors flew a small battalion of the darkest creatures imaginable. They were about Mikau's height if they stood upright, had long antennae and bright, yellow eyes. All other body parts were the purest black. They were The Spirits Within the gemstone.

"Well… Let's do this." I said, as the creatures dashed towards us. We were all at battle position, but far from ready. We never thought we would have to fight so soon. But the time had come.

The first of the creatures leaped, claws outstretched, towards my face, but with one movement of my sword, it had impaled itself in it, and dissapeared. The others were also slashing and stabbing, and had destroyed some of the creatures, but they seemed to have no end. The guards and king had also joined the fight, but they seemed to be causing no damage at all.

Suddenly, I felt pain in my cheek, and something warm creeping down. One of them had scratched me. The son of a bitch had scratched me! I was angry. And a sudden, flagrant passion burned inside me, and, combined with the adrenaline, gave me new strength. I slashed and diced. I stabbed and impaled. I was unstoppable. We were winning.

I had of course received many more scratches and wounds by the time we the battle ended. We had all sustained damage. Some guards lay on the floor, dead. I looked around, searching the room for the king.

"This isn't over." A deep voice said.

I whirled around and saw the king being held with a knife to his throath. The knife was held by no other than Naminè.

"Naminè, wait!" Kairi cried, desperately. "Please, don't do it. Search within you! I know you're still in there, somewhere."

"Don't you get it yet?" She said, coldly. Or rather, the spirit inside of her did. "This IS me! And what I am about to do, may you all take it as a warning. A warning coming from he who is called Ansem."

Mikel, who had hidden behind a column when she wasn't looking, lunged towards her. But he was too late. By the time Mikel pinned her to the floor, the blade was protuding from the King's chest.

"NOOOO!" Kairi and I cried in unison. I ran to the fallen king. "No… Please, my lord, don't die. Not now." I cried. Kairi wept and looked away, hiding her face in horror.

"Power… sleeps… within you…" The king whispered. "If you… give it… form… it will… give you… strength…"

"What? Who- who are you?" But it was too late. He had closed his eyes for the last time…

X X X

Every guard in the room knelt in respect. Some wept. I wiped tears from my eyes and turned to the assassin, who was still pinned to the floor. I knew my eyes were blazing with hate and anger. The spirit itself looked faintly scared.

"You are dead." I told the spirit.

It laughed. "No matter, my mission is now complete, my message… delivered." It said with a dark look.

I took out the Gemstone. I held it in front of it's face, and the Stone shone with a brilliant light. Suddenly, the spirit let out an earpiercing scream. It was in terrible pain, caused by the light of the Stone.

I wanted to cause it pain. I need to. But I knew what had to be done.

"In the name…" I started.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" It cried desperately.

"…of the Holy Trinity, and by the power vested in me by the Shiekra…"

It screamed and screamed in agony.

"… I declare you… FREE!" I yelled the last word.

The light of the Stone consumed Naminè's body and when it went out, she had passed out…

X X X

_Beautiful dawn_

_Lights up the shore for me,_

_There is nothing else in the world_

_I'd rather wake up and see with you…_

I had learned something that day.

I had learned that the beauty of life did not lie in material things. I knew then that it's real beauty was in it's fragility. It's tendency to shatter when you least expected it.

See, I have begun to believe that humanity is scared of nothing. Nothing except the unknown. Why does a child fear darkness? Because he knows not what lies in it. We fear death because we don't know what happens after it.

_Beautiful dawn_

_I'm just chasing time again_

_Thought I would die a lonely man_

_In endless night_

It is human fear that leads us to search for that which is divine, beyond our understanding. It leads humanity into doing terrible and beautiful things. All in the name of that which we have been led to believe. All because of fear. Most people only believe in God because of their fear of going to Hell.

But I belive God is not an authority who watches over us and punishes us if we don't live like He wants us to. God is love. God is that which binds all of us together. That invisible force that keeps us united. God is Life. That little electric synapse that makes our brain function. That is the real God. And fear is nothing but human weakness. Weakness the Darkness will exploit. That is why I am commited to this fight. To erradicate that which makes us turn away from the truth. Fear. Darkness. Evil. Against Light, none of this shall prevail…

_But now I'm high; running wild among all the stars above._

_Sometimes its hard to believe you remember me…_

The song is "High" by James Blunt. R&R.


End file.
